Legal

City council slammed for issuing parking warnings to hospital staff

Council parking inspectors have been criticised for handing out “official warning” tickets on the cars of hospital staff in Melbourne’s inner-north suburbs.

Employees of St Vincent’s Hospital in Fitzroy have seen council infringement notices tacked on to the windscreens of their cars, which were parked in a green zone, the ABCreported.

One employee left a note on their dashboard which read: “Where else are we supposed to park then?”

The “official warning” notices do not attract a fine as the City of Yarra offered a temporary reprieve from parking penalties for hospital staff amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Mayor Misha Coleman has defended the parking inspectors, saying clearways and no stopping areas were not included in the exemption.

“In the clearways, it’s really dangerous to have cars parked there all day,” she told the outlet, adding that the cars parked there would normally be towed away and attract a $600 fine.

“We’ve told the hospitals where staff can park without getting warning notices and we call on the hospitals to open up their own carparks for their staff.”

Parking inspectors will start issuing parking fines again on Monday, with hospital workers continuing to be exempt.

The City of Melbourne will also be handing out tickets for zones with green signs again starting Monday. Lord Mayor Sally Capp said up to 8,000 temporary permits would be made available for staff at eight hospitals, police officers and workers at the Melbourne Assessment Prison.